Our research over the past twelve years has shown that brands whose values align with their customers’ values have much stronger brand equity as measured by brand preference, loyalty and emotional connection. I recently read Jim Stengel’s book, Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies. He has come to a similar conclusion after researching 50,000 brands in conjunction with Millward Brown Optimor.

So here is what we have found. Brands that have achieved an uncommon level of success:

Know who their advocates are and what motivates them. That is, they have deep insight into their most passionate customers.

Stand for something important to these customers.

Embrace values that are important to their customers. That is, they and their customers share a common set of values.

Hire, manage and empower employees based on these values.

Consistently live these values each and every day.

Serve as self-expressive vehicles for their customers. That is, the brands become “badges” of customer attitudes, interests and values.

Strive to create an outstanding customer experience.

Innovate.

Care about aesthetics.

Co-create their offerings with customers.

Consider these brands as examples of this:

Apple

BMW

FootJoy

Fox News

Method

National Public Radio

Patagonia

Seventh Generation

Stonyfield Farm

Southwest Airlines

Trader Joes

Wegmans

Here is the irony – if your brand’s decisions are driven primarily by customer values alignment rather than financial considerations, it will achieve well above average financial results. A balanced scorecard is a must. Most purchase decisions are emotion-based and people often choose and feel best about brands whose values align with their values.

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Brand Education Programs

“Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you.” ~ Frank Tyger

If you find our thought pieces on brand strategy and brand management insightful and would like a deeper understanding for yourself, your marketing teams or leadership teams we can develop a tailored learning engagement for you.

Brand Education is a core competency of The Blake Project, the brand consultancy behind Branding Strategy Insider. As practitioners and educators we deliver interactive brand education workshops and keynote speeches designed to align individuals and organizations on essential concepts in brand management and empower them to release the full potential of their brands.

Additionally, we host a unique competitive-learning event annually: The Un-Conference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World. For organizations seeking to transform and mobilize their employees around the brand we custom design and develop brand academies / brand centers of excellence which include live training and distance learning powered by i-STORY, our proprietary learning technology.

Abbott, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Red Lobster et al), GE, GlaxoSmithKlein, Kawasaki, OgilvyRed, Monsanto, Unilever, U.S. Army and Wyndham Worldwide are some of the organizations that have turned to The Blake Project for help in meeting learning objectives.

Branding Strategy Insider helps marketing oriented leaders and professionals build strong brands. We focus on sharing thought provoking expertise that promotes an elevated conversation on brand strategy and brand management and fosters community among marketers. BSI is a service of The Blake Project, a leading brand consultancy based in the United States, serving marketers around the world.